While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

Mocc - You intrigue me with me your riddle of which shrub you would pull. I have plans to remove all the Azaleas, and that obnoxious boxwood. The Rhody's will get pruned down and left to grow back so that I can manage them into a reasonable shape. The name escapes me at the moment, but the lower growing shrub that gets all the little fennel style purple flower clumps is coming out too. They are aggressive when not pruned and its current placement is not optimal for the pathway I am planning. We also had a hoard of Skimmia that I yanked out. Nasty creeping shrub that will root anywhere it can get a branch down. The berries are cute, but it was just out of control. Your Smooth Sailing looks like it's on its way to sleep, but still strong. I am excited to see it in the spring when the subtle variegation shows more :) That Clear Fork River Valley is impressive, but you and I both know that Elegans would never allow me to introduce another type of large blue . . . she rules the roost around here :p Although my wandering eyes stray to Blue Angel A LOT when looking through catalogs. I see your Elegans in the latter pic looking matronly and strong. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do :) Winter Snow is fantastic. Between you and Steve's pics I am that much more convinced. Thank you Steve. Your stash of pics never fails to impress. Beverly - thank you for sharing Royal Flush :) I did some more research and in my opinion I find Royal Flush to have a slicker leaf and a wider yellow margin than Goodness Gracious. Your pics make me think I am more inclined to the narrow band of green and shinier leaf of Royal Flush. Jon - Thank you for the generous ideas and thoughts:) I have started to keep a database where I detail the vendor, origin, year bought and (if registered) mature measurements. All that I obtained this year are in pots so I will in essence be using your picture stake method this spring. I think to hold me over though I will take a page from McTavish's book and overlay stock photos onto my pics and see if I can't picture stake digitally :) Fortunately, we have an arborist coming in about a month to trim back some of the sycamores and take out two maples that are close to the garage and house. He will be cleaning up other trees as well which will greatly improve the amount of light that hits the ground next year. I have a feeling though it will still be pretty shady, but certain areas should open up more for the yellows and sun tolerant variants. Thanks again everyone :) I have all winter to think about it . . . which could be good and bad :p Ludi

Cran, you're welcome. I hope you find a few recipes you like. LisaB: you are so incredibly thoughtful to pull up this thread from last year. Thank you! Here's some new ones. The pancake and Red pesto Sauce I've been making pretty much every weekend lately. Healthful, easy and super delicious. ALMOND MEAL PANCAKES Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 cup almond meal 1/4 cup cooked quinoa 1/2 cup Egg Beaters or 2 eggs 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons walnut, olive, avocado or canola oil, your choice 1 tablespoon sweetener ( I usually use blue agave syrup) blueberries, if you choose Directions: Mix all ingredients, except blueberries if using them, together in a bowl. Gently fold in blueberries (if using). Cook on hot oiled griddle as you would regular pancakes. * The cooked quinoa keeps the pancakes moist and fluffy. I've tried it without, but prefer them with it. LEMON BLUEBERRY YOGURT MUFFINS Makes about 2 1/2 dozen Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Low Carb Baking Mix (don't accidentally get his Low Carb Bread Mix like I did last month! I buy mine from Amazon Prime or from Bob's Red Mill directly) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage 0%) 1 cup sugar (I know, it seems like a lot, but comes out to less than 2 teaspoons per muffin. You can try an artificial sweetener, if you like. I'm very allergic to them myself, though) 3/4 cup Egg Beaters or 3 extra large eggs 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from approx. 1 lemon) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 1/2 cups blueberries) 1 tablespoon of the baking mix, or regular flour Directions: Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Add muffin liner papers to muffin cups and spray the inside of each with olive oil spray (or Pam, if you prefer). This is very important because without the spray, the finished muffins will stick to the papers badly. Or, you can use the Caphalon Silicone cupcake liners. You do not need to spray them. Mix together the baking mix, baking powder and salt in one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, Egg Beaters, lemon zest, vanilla and applesauce. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture. In a third bowl, sprinkle the blueberries with the 1 tablespoon of baking mix or flour. Toss until covered. Gently fold blueberries into batter. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full with batter. This recipe should make about 2 1/2 dozen. If using large muffin papers, you may get just 2 dozen. Bake about 40 minutes, or until done. I say "about 40 minutes" because I live at an altitude of 6,000 feet above sea level and baked goods can take a bit longer up here. * These muffins are very moist. They also freeze well. RED PESTO SAUCE FOR SALMON, ETC. Serves 2-3 We eat fresh salmon a couple of times a week. I've been making this heart healthy sauce for it lately, and we love it. You'll need a food processor or blender for this recipe. Ingredients: 8 blanched almonds 1/2 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup chopped, bottled roasted red bell peppers, drained Directions: Blanch your almonds by dropping them in a 1/2 cup of boiling water (off the stove) for 8-10 minutes. Drain, and pinch each almond to slide off skin. Pat dry and cool a few minutes on counter. In a food processor, pulse almonds until you have a powder. Add rest of ingredients, pulse to blend. Taste and add salt if you prefer. Serve at room temp or slightly warmed.

Many thanks to all of you for checking. It seems to be a problem that strikes some - even many - but certainly not all. In the meanwhile, I was able to contact some of the Readers Paradise regulars off the forum. Some are fine, some are having problems, and some have had this problem in the past. For one it magically went away after a day or so, but for another (like me) it was persistent. She developed a workaround that allowed me to logon early this morning. It might be of interest to you, Fig-Insanity. If you logon with the URL https://www.houzz.com/discussions/tag=496 it takes you to the Readers Paradise Forum. The header says Home and Gardens Discussions, only it really is RP. At this point you can read and post. However, if you want to be able to easily get back some day without having to remember this odd URL, then go to the right directly across from Home and Garden Discussions and click on the box marked Follow. This will list the forum for easy access on the lefthand side of the screen whenever you are logged in to Gardenweb under My Topics. The person who gave me this workaround said that the problem started with an update that increased security.